Hello everyone,
When taking a look at the 'Hours Played' in Steam under the title Mount & Blade: Warband (MB:W) in the Library section I feel blood rushing to my cheeks. What's this I'm feeling? I think it's called shame; the counter shows an amassed amount of 434 hours played. But aloud I stumble "but, but ... I'm nowhere near done with my campaign!". And that is exactly what MB:W does to you, it makes you forget time exists.
SUMMARY:
MB:W is a mix of the overview playstyle on a map you'd see in the series Heroes of Might and Magic combined with the combat from ... nothing. That's right, there is nothing that comes close to the combat you experience in MB:W. When in melee combat you use your mouse to perform directional attacks: left, right, from above or a thrust forward. The same goes for blocking with the right-mouse button, although I prefer to keep this automated so it just blocks when I click instead of having to choose a direction.
The game throws you into a medieval environment where you either start with next to nothing or with some basic equipment depending on how you created your character (low born peasant versus born in nobility and everything in between). The basic gameplay shows the map of Calradia with you as an icon on it. You move around until you encounter a city, a village or another NPC. Then the game changes to third or first person depending on your liking and you either fight on an open field, siege a city, perform simple tasks or resupply weapons, armor, horses and food.
All of this sounds very basic but this is where it gets interesting. It is up to the player to take the afore mentioned ingredients and get something cooking. The game has a great sandbox feel to it and you have to set your own goals. I've had playsessions go on as long as 5 hours at a time and by the end of it I still felt like I had only done half of what I'd set out to do when I started.
GRAPHICS:
This aspect of the game is where most people find it lacking and give up on it prematurely. Steam shows the demo version of MB:W next to the Retail version; so when I told my little brother about this I finally got him to try it out. It was free after all and it only took me 3 days of nagging and sending him a dozen screenshots (which I carefully choreographed) to get him to that point. However, when he arrived in game it took him less than 5 minutes to say "No thank you and good bye". He's as you might say a critic in the graphics department and he just couldn't bare to look at the game any longer than he had. And I could somehow relate to how he felt, because I had the same feeling when I started playing the game. But from the moment I got hooked on the game I couldn't even see the lacking graphics anymore. I am now so in tune with the game that the only thing that matters is block left, slash right, shield up, wait for opponent to strike and counter.
If I was playing the devil's advocate I could argue that the battlesize (with a maximum of 150 NPC's on one map) was a limiting factor when you take the final product into account. Especially for the Multiplayer mode; you would want big battles but a playable game at the same time. You also have to take into account that not everyone can buy top of the line rigs nor keep their current rig up to date so you will want to keep your hardware requirements in the midrange to reach largest part of your audience.
MODS:
This where the game shines and where most of your hours played will most likely come from. Because I love the Mod and I still play it daily I want to specifically mention Prophesy of Pendor as a must play Mod for MB:W. It even has it's own Wikipedia so do make sure to check it out. It gives much needed polish to the game while adding several layers of depth to the gameplay as well (for example Knighthood Orders).
If you look on Nexus Mods you will find a multitude of Mods for MB:W as well as other games. It's these Mods that make the game an even greater success than it already is. There are small modifications to change the interface or certain mechanics but there are also complete overhauls like Brytenwalda, Prophesy of Pendor and 1257 Anno Domini. Applying these Mods generate the feeling that you're playing a totally new game, but all the while the thrilling combat stays the same. And it's a formula that works.
CONCLUSION:
If you can get past the subpar graphics and enjoy the combat that is offered, you had better cancel any appointments you have made for the coming months (that's right, plural). Because you will find yourself short on time during every playsession of this game.
Basic information:
Developer: TaleWorlds
Website: http://www.mountandbladewarband.com/
Saturday, June 29, 2013
U.A.'s review of ...
Hello everyone,
Like I mentioned before I'm someone who has an opinion on just about anything and this includes games, gadgets and all sorts of things. Instead of placing them under the opinion section I've decided that I want to make a proper review section. So without further ado I present to you my first review...
U.A.
Like I mentioned before I'm someone who has an opinion on just about anything and this includes games, gadgets and all sorts of things. Instead of placing them under the opinion section I've decided that I want to make a proper review section. So without further ado I present to you my first review...
U.A.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
U.A.'s opinion on ... A Song of Ice and Fire
Hello everyone,
To kick off the series I'm going to be writing about the novels by George R.R. Martin called A Song of Ice and Fire which you've no doubt heard of or even seen on HBO under the name A Game of Thrones, the title of the first book in the series. I'm not going to spoil any story, but if you are looking for it you could deduce more information then you would likely want to have. So be warned if you plan on watching or reading this series in the future.
Important for you as a reader to know is that I have watched season 1 of A Game of Thrones fully before even knowing about A Song of Ice and Fire. I actually gave up on the show at the start of season 2 because the story started to bore me. After finishing The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (the movies and the books) I decided I needed more books to devour which led me to this series. That's when I became a huge fan. As of yet I still have not seen more of the TV show than seasons 1 and 2 (of which I still need to watch the finale).
I have to admit that I'm not quite finished with the currently available books either (which are as of June 2013; A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons) as I still have roughly 300 pages to go in A Dance with Dragons.
- On a side note: I'm reading all the books in the, original, English language. -
Now you'll probably say: "Hey U.A., how can you write about a series that you have not finished yet?" And that is where the essence of this series comes to the surface; I want to write about subjects that are on my mind now while they're fresh, alive and not fully within my grasp yet. Sure, if I finish the series first I'll have a much clearer picture of the series but it will leave less room for me to speculate and suggest. I'm hoping this will result in stories infused with my passion and at the same time giving me an outlet I can use to channel my thoughts and give them a place.
Now to move on to the actual subject. If I had to sum up the series in one sentence and describe the writer at the same time I would have to give you the following line: George R. R. Martin is as cruel to his readers as much as he's a genius at writing. After reading about The Red Wedding (wink wink) I was actually contemplating to stop reading even though I had purchased all volumes in a boxset. All the while I was cursing Martin for his choices (and did so throughout the second half of Book 3 and the entirety of Book 4) and didn't stop doing so until I reached his final note at the end of Book 4. By then I felt fooled and toyed with but in a good way.
I have to admit that I cared less for the characters in Book 4, aside from Arya, than the characters I had come to love like Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. But it forced me to look for something I could relate to in Brienne, Cersei and Jaime. I appreciate the different views Book 4 gives the reader through the eyes of the previously mentioned characters. But I found the book less action packed than Book 3 which was a bit of a let down. Especially after being filled with 'reader adrenaline' by the battle on and under the Wall.
As I'm reading Book 5 I feel like I've been reunited with the characters I was missing so much throughout Book 4. But at the same time I'm dreading the countdown of pages leading me to the back of Book 5. I realize two more volumes will be published in the series but not even Martin knows when that will be. It could be years before we see volume 6 "The Winds of Winter" and volume 7 "A Dream of Spring". Since A Dance with Dragons was published in 2011 and it took Martin five years to write this volume (1) we probably will not be reading anything new for the next few years.
A special place in my heart has been reserved for Arya "Horseface" Stark. I have always liked her as a character in the book (in the TV show not so much). She reminds me of characters in other books that go out in the open world and experience adventures. The whole survival aspect is what draws me to her storylines as I love to read about the traveling, gathering food and battling the weather (my love for this is one of the reasons I started The Skyrim Experiment-series). I also appreciate where Martin is headed with her as a character. The same goes for Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister; they are damaged in their own ways (or altered by their experience like Jon by Ygritte), but in return have a strength to them which makes them fascinating as characters and gives their storylines a realistic touch.
I'm very much looking forward to the next two volumes, but in the mean time I can feel the end of Book 5 looming over me. I'm not so much afraid of a cliffhanger as I am of having nothing to read during my breaks and before bed. Luckily I happened to stumble upon the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson and going by it's reviews it should keep me busy for at least 6 to 12 months. I decided to start off easy though so I only purchased Volume I and II, for now.
Thank you for reading and I'll see you... next time.
U.A.
To kick off the series I'm going to be writing about the novels by George R.R. Martin called A Song of Ice and Fire which you've no doubt heard of or even seen on HBO under the name A Game of Thrones, the title of the first book in the series. I'm not going to spoil any story, but if you are looking for it you could deduce more information then you would likely want to have. So be warned if you plan on watching or reading this series in the future.
Important for you as a reader to know is that I have watched season 1 of A Game of Thrones fully before even knowing about A Song of Ice and Fire. I actually gave up on the show at the start of season 2 because the story started to bore me. After finishing The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (the movies and the books) I decided I needed more books to devour which led me to this series. That's when I became a huge fan. As of yet I still have not seen more of the TV show than seasons 1 and 2 (of which I still need to watch the finale).
I have to admit that I'm not quite finished with the currently available books either (which are as of June 2013; A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons) as I still have roughly 300 pages to go in A Dance with Dragons.
- On a side note: I'm reading all the books in the, original, English language. -
Now you'll probably say: "Hey U.A., how can you write about a series that you have not finished yet?" And that is where the essence of this series comes to the surface; I want to write about subjects that are on my mind now while they're fresh, alive and not fully within my grasp yet. Sure, if I finish the series first I'll have a much clearer picture of the series but it will leave less room for me to speculate and suggest. I'm hoping this will result in stories infused with my passion and at the same time giving me an outlet I can use to channel my thoughts and give them a place.
Now to move on to the actual subject. If I had to sum up the series in one sentence and describe the writer at the same time I would have to give you the following line: George R. R. Martin is as cruel to his readers as much as he's a genius at writing. After reading about The Red Wedding (wink wink) I was actually contemplating to stop reading even though I had purchased all volumes in a boxset. All the while I was cursing Martin for his choices (and did so throughout the second half of Book 3 and the entirety of Book 4) and didn't stop doing so until I reached his final note at the end of Book 4. By then I felt fooled and toyed with but in a good way.
I have to admit that I cared less for the characters in Book 4, aside from Arya, than the characters I had come to love like Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. But it forced me to look for something I could relate to in Brienne, Cersei and Jaime. I appreciate the different views Book 4 gives the reader through the eyes of the previously mentioned characters. But I found the book less action packed than Book 3 which was a bit of a let down. Especially after being filled with 'reader adrenaline' by the battle on and under the Wall.
As I'm reading Book 5 I feel like I've been reunited with the characters I was missing so much throughout Book 4. But at the same time I'm dreading the countdown of pages leading me to the back of Book 5. I realize two more volumes will be published in the series but not even Martin knows when that will be. It could be years before we see volume 6 "The Winds of Winter" and volume 7 "A Dream of Spring". Since A Dance with Dragons was published in 2011 and it took Martin five years to write this volume (1) we probably will not be reading anything new for the next few years.
A special place in my heart has been reserved for Arya "Horseface" Stark. I have always liked her as a character in the book (in the TV show not so much). She reminds me of characters in other books that go out in the open world and experience adventures. The whole survival aspect is what draws me to her storylines as I love to read about the traveling, gathering food and battling the weather (my love for this is one of the reasons I started The Skyrim Experiment-series). I also appreciate where Martin is headed with her as a character. The same goes for Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister; they are damaged in their own ways (or altered by their experience like Jon by Ygritte), but in return have a strength to them which makes them fascinating as characters and gives their storylines a realistic touch.
I'm very much looking forward to the next two volumes, but in the mean time I can feel the end of Book 5 looming over me. I'm not so much afraid of a cliffhanger as I am of having nothing to read during my breaks and before bed. Luckily I happened to stumble upon the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson and going by it's reviews it should keep me busy for at least 6 to 12 months. I decided to start off easy though so I only purchased Volume I and II, for now.
Thank you for reading and I'll see you... next time.
U.A.
U.A.'s opinion on...
Hello everyone,
I intend to make a series with the title "U.A.'s opinion on...". I'm someone who has something to say about everything so why not utilize this (sometimes annoying) habit and use it for this blog, right? Right, hehe.
I hope to improve my written skills in the English language as it's not my first language but I have always been fascinated by it. Although I have to say my fascination was and is with the American variant and not so much it's origine as it's used in the United Kingdoms. This led to a lot of frustration in school as they liked to school me in the British variant while my television was educating me in the American one which resulted in bad grades even though I was fluent in speech and writing. You can take the 'education by television' quite literally in my case because I used to watch American programs on Dutch television which were not altered in any way except for them being subbed. This resulted in me learning the language by listening to and watching at the television.
Hopefully this little disclaimer will give me some room to improve while I write my content. Feel free to correct me where needed but if you could do it in a teaching style (so I could actually learn from your comment and prevent the mistake in the future) this would be even better.
U.A.
I intend to make a series with the title "U.A.'s opinion on...". I'm someone who has something to say about everything so why not utilize this (sometimes annoying) habit and use it for this blog, right? Right, hehe.
I hope to improve my written skills in the English language as it's not my first language but I have always been fascinated by it. Although I have to say my fascination was and is with the American variant and not so much it's origine as it's used in the United Kingdoms. This led to a lot of frustration in school as they liked to school me in the British variant while my television was educating me in the American one which resulted in bad grades even though I was fluent in speech and writing. You can take the 'education by television' quite literally in my case because I used to watch American programs on Dutch television which were not altered in any way except for them being subbed. This resulted in me learning the language by listening to and watching at the television.
Hopefully this little disclaimer will give me some room to improve while I write my content. Feel free to correct me where needed but if you could do it in a teaching style (so I could actually learn from your comment and prevent the mistake in the future) this would be even better.
U.A.
The Skyrim Experiment Complete Mod List
Hello everyone,
Like I mentioned before I wanted to write out the complete list of Mods used in my The Skyrim Experiment series. The creators should get the credit they deserve and I also want to promote the Mods so other players can enjoy them. So here goes:
360 Walk and Run Plus
83Willows 101BugsHD Butterfly Dragonfly Luna-Moth Torchbug
ACE - Athyra's Comprehensive Enhancements
ApachiiSkyHair
ASIS
Auto Unequip Ammo
Babettes Feast
Bandolier - Bags and Pouches
B-D-Y-E-B Shield Mod
Beards - High Resolution
Bellyches Animal and Creature Pack
Belt-Fastened Quivers (Skeleton Replacer) (Steam)
Better Dynamic Snow
Better Females by Bella
Better Swimming
Birds of Skyrim
Bowlegged jump animation Fix
Brawl Bugs Patch
Cliffracers
Cloaks of Skyrim
Complete Crafting Overhaul
Craftable Arrows (Steam)
Craftable Blades Armor (Steam)
Enhanced Blood Textures
Enhanced Lights and FX
Enhanced Night Skyrim
Faction: Pit Fighter (Steam)
Faction: Pit Fighter Travels Add-On (Steam)
Fishing in Skyrim 1.00 (Steam)
Followers can Relax
Follow Trap Safety (Steam)
Footprints
ForesNew Idles in Skyrim - FNIS
Frostfall
Greatsword sheaths and scabbards
HiRes Legible Road Signs
HQ and Recolor Husky
Immersive Animations
Immersive Armors
Immersive HUD
Immersive Patrols
Immersive Weapons
Improved Weapons - Immersive Weapons
Improved Combat Sounds
JaySuS Swords
Knapsack Enhanced
Lighter Dragon Scales And Bones (Steam)
Lightweight Potions and Poisons (Steam)
Linen Bandages (Steam)
Lockpick graduation by Lilyu
Map Tomes and Writing Table
Meeko and Vigilance Stealth Tweak
No More Blocky Faces
No salt for Meat Recipes
No Spinning Death Animation
NPCs Use Ammo
Open Faced Guard Helmets
Player Headtracking
Project Reality - Climates Of Tamriel
Proper Aiming
Pumping Iron
Realistic Lighting Overhaul
Realistic Needs and Diseases
Realistic Ragdolls and Force
Realistic Timescale 1:5 (Steam)
Realistic Wildlife Loot and Recipes
Reduced Distance NPC Greetings (Steam)
Run For Your Lives
Sabre Gear Backpack
SkyTEST - Realistic Animals and Predators
SkyUI
Smithing Perks Overhaul
Sneak Tools
Tailoring (Steam)
The Choice is Yours - Fewer Forced Quests
The Dance of Death - A Killmove Mod
The Eyes of Beauty
Thieves Guild Requirements - No Auto Quest Start (turned off for The Skyrim Experiment, but I still recommend it)
UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul (with Dawnguard and Heartfire AddOn)
Unlimited Bookshelves
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch
Unofficial High Resolution Patch
Unofficial Skyrim Patch
Vagabond Armor
Viking Chainmail Armor
W.A.T.E.R. - Water and Terrain Enhancement Redux
Warchief Armor
Wearable Lanterns
Weightless Books
Wet and Cold - Ashes
Wet and Cold
When Vampires Attack
Winter is Coming
XCE - Xenius Character Enhancement
U.A.
Like I mentioned before I wanted to write out the complete list of Mods used in my The Skyrim Experiment series. The creators should get the credit they deserve and I also want to promote the Mods so other players can enjoy them. So here goes:
360 Walk and Run Plus
83Willows 101BugsHD Butterfly Dragonfly Luna-Moth Torchbug
ACE - Athyra's Comprehensive Enhancements
ApachiiSkyHair
ASIS
Auto Unequip Ammo
Babettes Feast
Bandolier - Bags and Pouches
B-D-Y-E-B Shield Mod
Beards - High Resolution
Bellyches Animal and Creature Pack
Belt-Fastened Quivers (Skeleton Replacer) (Steam)
Better Dynamic Snow
Better Females by Bella
Better Swimming
Birds of Skyrim
Bowlegged jump animation Fix
Brawl Bugs Patch
Cliffracers
Cloaks of Skyrim
Complete Crafting Overhaul
Craftable Arrows (Steam)
Craftable Blades Armor (Steam)
Enhanced Blood Textures
Enhanced Lights and FX
Enhanced Night Skyrim
Faction: Pit Fighter (Steam)
Faction: Pit Fighter Travels Add-On (Steam)
Fishing in Skyrim 1.00 (Steam)
Followers can Relax
Follow Trap Safety (Steam)
Footprints
ForesNew Idles in Skyrim - FNIS
Frostfall
Greatsword sheaths and scabbards
HiRes Legible Road Signs
HQ and Recolor Husky
Immersive Animations
Immersive Armors
Immersive HUD
Immersive Patrols
Immersive Weapons
Improved Weapons - Immersive Weapons
Improved Combat Sounds
JaySuS Swords
Knapsack Enhanced
Lighter Dragon Scales And Bones (Steam)
Lightweight Potions and Poisons (Steam)
Linen Bandages (Steam)
Lockpick graduation by Lilyu
Map Tomes and Writing Table
Meeko and Vigilance Stealth Tweak
No More Blocky Faces
No salt for Meat Recipes
No Spinning Death Animation
NPCs Use Ammo
Open Faced Guard Helmets
Player Headtracking
Project Reality - Climates Of Tamriel
Proper Aiming
Pumping Iron
Realistic Lighting Overhaul
Realistic Needs and Diseases
Realistic Ragdolls and Force
Realistic Timescale 1:5 (Steam)
Realistic Wildlife Loot and Recipes
Reduced Distance NPC Greetings (Steam)
Run For Your Lives
Sabre Gear Backpack
SkyTEST - Realistic Animals and Predators
SkyUI
Smithing Perks Overhaul
Sneak Tools
Tailoring (Steam)
The Choice is Yours - Fewer Forced Quests
The Dance of Death - A Killmove Mod
The Eyes of Beauty
Thieves Guild Requirements - No Auto Quest Start (turned off for The Skyrim Experiment, but I still recommend it)
UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul (with Dawnguard and Heartfire AddOn)
Unlimited Bookshelves
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch
Unofficial High Resolution Patch
Unofficial Skyrim Patch
Vagabond Armor
Viking Chainmail Armor
W.A.T.E.R. - Water and Terrain Enhancement Redux
Warchief Armor
Wearable Lanterns
Weightless Books
Wet and Cold - Ashes
Wet and Cold
When Vampires Attack
Winter is Coming
XCE - Xenius Character Enhancement
U.A.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Introduction
Dear diary,
I had the best day today...
I'm just joking!
Hello everyone, I am Michiel also known as my gamertag UncivilAquarius and you're reading my blog. I intend to complement the videos on my YouTube channel with blog posts, game reviews and other written products which can all be found here in my imaginary laboratory. This is the place where I cook up the wildest things for you, my audience.
This is also the place where I can post useful things like for example the Mod list from my "The Skyrim Experiment" series. You can imagine that posting the names of more than a 100 Mods would put a bit of a strain on the YouTube description, hehe. I feel that I do want to give the creators of said Mods the respect and acknowledgement they deserve so that's why I wanted a medium alongside of the video channel.
I am hoping to supply you with a steady stream of video and written content for the years to come and thereby entertaining myself and (hopefully) you both.
June 2013,
U.A.
I had the best day today...
I'm just joking!
Hello everyone, I am Michiel also known as my gamertag UncivilAquarius and you're reading my blog. I intend to complement the videos on my YouTube channel with blog posts, game reviews and other written products which can all be found here in my imaginary laboratory. This is the place where I cook up the wildest things for you, my audience.
This is also the place where I can post useful things like for example the Mod list from my "The Skyrim Experiment" series. You can imagine that posting the names of more than a 100 Mods would put a bit of a strain on the YouTube description, hehe. I feel that I do want to give the creators of said Mods the respect and acknowledgement they deserve so that's why I wanted a medium alongside of the video channel.
I am hoping to supply you with a steady stream of video and written content for the years to come and thereby entertaining myself and (hopefully) you both.
June 2013,
U.A.
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